Sunset Valentine’s Day wedding

By Eva C. Visperas

The world-famous Hundred Islands here has been proven once more as the most romantic place in Pangasinan as 160 couples exchanged their sweet “I do’s” and made their own version of Lovapalooza on Valentine’s Day.

The brides wore white gowns while the grooms were clad in barong tagalog and together they marched slowly down the aisle while the song “Ikaw” of popular singer Martin Nievera was being played.

The beautiful sunset at the Lucap Wharf, the jump off point to the Hundred Islands, provided a romantic ambience for the wedding solemnized by Mayor Hernani Braganza.

The wedding ceremony, however, was interrupted for an hour, not because someone came forward to object but because of a “brown-out” in the area caused by the overloading of the transformer.
 

But the couples patiently waited, holding each other’s beloved hands, until power was restored around 7:40 p.m.

Braganza said the mass wedding held every February 14, now on its third year, aims to solemnize couples in the city who are not privileged enough to spend for a wedding ceremony. The city government also provided a free reception after the ceremony.

Their immediate principal sponsors were led by senatorial candidate Francis Escudero, Vice Governor Oscar Lambino, the 12 members of the city council and 39 barangay captains of the city.

The annual love affair also aims to help promote the tourism potentials of the city geared towards the conservation, protection and rehabilitation of the Hundred Islands National Park and the rest of the city.

In 2005 and 2006, the city adopted the Bolo Beach in barangay Pandan for the sunrise beach wedding

Each of the couples, after publicly making their vows “to love one another for better or for worse, in sickness and in health,” kissed for several minutes for the Longest Kiss Contest part sponsored by the City Tourism Office.

Then, they sliced their own cakes and drank their wine and merrily did their photo ops.

LOVE KNOWS NO AGE

What made this year’s event extra interesting was that two of the grooms were septuagenarians.

Rodolfo Bembo, 79, from barangay Bued this city, had long wanted to marry his girlfriend Marilou Garde, 40, also of the said barangay but poverty prevented them.

They applied for a marriage license in 2005 but they had a terrible “lovers’ quarrel” and that made them cancel their wedding plans.

But after they had kissed and made up last year, they finally walked down the aisle the other day for their wedding.

Teofilo Villanueva, 76, of barangay Tangcarang here, also finally took Agripina Nebrida, 64, as his lawful wife during the mass wedding.

They became “lovers” 20 years ago, but at that time, Villanueva was married to his first wife, while Nebrida was also married to her first husband.

When both were widowed, they decided to make up for lost time and sealed their union.

In another situation, 56-year old Rosalio Frias and 57-year old Dionita Racraquin from this city had been living together for the past 24 years. It was their children who initiated their marriage by availing of the free wedding program of Braganza.

Oh, how I enjoyed the longest kiss scene! Very romantic.

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/business-log/)

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